Mistaken Identity
by whomii2
Summary: Dominic gets the wrong idea about the relationship between Reese and Root


Root was in a bad mood.

Once again they had failed to find Shaw. Which meant that she had gone on a long overnight road trip with Harold's Helper Monkey for nothing. The surly brute didn't look any more pleased than she was as he dropped her off, not that she particularly cared.

She was contemplating what her next move should be when she was approached by two thugs. Really? Samaritan was definitely slipping if these were the agents it was now recruiting. They didn't even frisk her before ushering her into their car and driving off!

Dominic had been frustrated by his inability to pin Elias down. No one seemed to know where the man was hiding himself. Then he had thought of Detective Riley as a possible source. The Detective had helped foil Dominic's last attempt. He seemed to have some sort of inroads with the mob boss. But Dominic doubted he would talk under physical duress. He had learned from what had happened with Scarface. No, a different approach might be called for. Maybe that brunette the Detective had been seen with would provide the leverage he needed...

Floyd scowled as Riley's girlfriend was ushered in. Pampered Princess, trying to look all tough in her jeans and leather jacket. She wouldn't last a minute outside her sheltered little world. Floyd's hand moved surreptitiously to her head – the girl did have great hair though...

Link was curious to see who the Detective had been stepping out with. A pretty little thing, like a delicate porcelain doll. Link liked his women with a bit more curves, but he supposed Riley was one of those guys caught up in his macho protective bullshit. The girl was certainly a looker, and either brave or stupid what with her pouting at them all for the manhandling. When Dominic made a call to Riley to make his demands her scowl was frankly adorable. Dom's plan was gonna work great...

Dominic was pleased with how shocked Riley seemed when he told the Detective that he had his girlfriend in his possession. He thought he would press his advantage, maybe get a line on whoever was bankrolling Riley's extra-curricular activities as well. He was in the process of passing the phone to the girl to provide proof of life when he looked at her closely for the first time. The look in her eyes when their gazes met...he had miscalculated badly. He couldn't draw with the phone in his hand, and before he could even say something she smiled for the first time since being brought to him and made her move.

The kidnapping had only made Root's already bad mood worse. At first she had thought she might be able to get some useful intel if Samaritan had made the mistake of recruiting goons like these. But then she found out that this all related to the Caveman and his day job. And they thought she was his girlfriend - as if! She had been quietly seething as she listened to this jerk make demands of John. Then he started to make threats against Harold and her rage boiled over. No way was this guy going to make a move on Harold.

John had just made it to the subway when he received a call from Dominic. He exchanged confused looks with Harold when Dominic claimed to have his girlfriend. Then the description clicked – Root. No way. Not if she were the last woman on Earth. He would have laughed at Dominic's mistake if the man hadn't demanded information on Harold. The sudden loud bangs over the phone showed Root had been as displeased as John at the man's threats. Wincing as he moved the phone further from his ear, he asked Harold to contact Lionel.

Root casually tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she surveyed the damage. Now that the adrenaline rush was over, she was feeling tired again. Harold's Helper Monkeys could clean up this mess. She was pleased when she made a quick call and Harold told her that they were already on their way. And the concern she could hear in Harold's voice was most gratifying. The duo arrived just a short time later. The scowl on John's face brought an almost smile to her own. No doubt he was thinking of the mounds of paper work in his future. Lionel was taking stock of the groaning bodies littering the floor and giving her an admiring look. Somewhat appalled, but still admiring. Yes, she was rather awesome if she did think so herself. And she had just had another great idea. A quick call to Harold's chess partner to let him know that his enemies were now in custody would no doubt see that the threat was permanently eliminated. And all while keeping her own hands clean. The mob boss would owe her a favor, and Harold would be pleased by her restraint. A win-win situation.

She smiled as she thought about dropping by to visit Harold later so that he could see for himself that she was alright, and maybe even fuss over her a little in that prickly, standoffish way of his. The smile had the added benefit of creeping out Lionel and making Reese frown even harder. But before she visited Harold she wanted to stop by her place. Take a little me time to relax in a nice bubble bath and get the smell of gun smoke out of her hair.


End file.
